Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) has an essential role in facilitating DNA repair, controlling RNA transcription, mediating cell death and regulating immune response. PARP inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in disease models for allergic encephalitis, arthritis, cardiac and kidney toxicities from doxorubicin-based and platinum-based antineoplastic agents, carcinoma of the breast, central nervous system inflammation, cervical carcinoma, colon cancer, diabetes and complications therefrom, glioblastoma, gout, hemmorhagic shock, hypoglycemia, inflammatory bowel disease, ischemia reperfusion injury associated with myocardial infarction, kidney disease, leukemia, liver toxicity following acetominophen overdose, lymphoma, melanoma, multiple sclerosis, myocardial infarction, neural trauma, organ transplantation, Parkinsons disease, potentiation of cytotoxic cancer therapy, pulmonary fibrosis, reperfusion of the eye, gut, kidney and skeletal muscle, retroviral infection, rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, septic shock, skin damage secondary to sulfur mustards, stroke and other neural trauma and uveitis.
In cancer models, PARP inhibitors have been shown to potentiate radiation and chemotherapy by increasing apoptosis of cancer cells, limiting tumor growth, decreasing metastasis, and prolonging the survival of tumor-bearing animals. There is therefore an existing need in the therapeutic arts for PARP inhibitors.